trying to do it all and live to tell about it

Apple Stuffed French Toast

The rain has been coming down the past day and a half and we even received a tropical storm advisory from the local office (ack). Hopefully the storm won’t get in the way of sightseeing and food adventures so I can share some more exciting pictures.

Right now I am drooling reminiscing about my prior weekend with my cousin, Christina. We ate so much food while she was in town visiting that I think I gained three pounds. We made these lovelies one morning – apple stuffed french toast:

Christina and I share a special bond – we daydream about food every waking minute. Naturally her trip here was planned around what we would be eating. Here are some of the things we ate:

Breakfast burrito with spicy chicken and kimchi from HRD. Love the people here too!

Apple pop tart from the Saturday farmer’s market at the Ferry Building. This shot is food pornography at its finest.

Chunky monkey biscuit aka chocolate banana custard from Biscuit Bender. I think we were on our third breakfast at this point.

We did some walking around to counter all the eating…sort of. Eating is more fun anyways. Plus, it’s almost winter. Don’t I need to store up on fat or something? (Just say yes.)

We did manage to make a home cooked meal while she was here. Apple stuffed french toast is much healthier when you make it at home versus when you order at a restaurant. (Again, just say yes.)

This was super easy to make and you can stuff it with whatever fruit you have on hand. We just happened to have a lot of apples. We used Challah bread but a loaf of Italian or French bread is also good. It was so much fun cooking with my little cousin. I wished we lived in the same city so we can do things like this all the time. Being surrounded by family and good food – that’s what life is all about!

Make*In a small saucepan, simmer the apples with just enough water to cover them with the brown sugar, and half a tablespoon of cinnamon for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain any remaining water.*Mix the cream cheese with half of the apple mixture.*Cut slits into each of the bread, about 3 to 4 inches deep, without going all the way through.*Fill each bread with two heaping spoonfuls of the cream cheese and apple mixture. Place and spread a spoonful of apples inside. Place aside.*In a large shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla extract, remaining cinnamon and kosher salt until combined.*Heat a large pan or griddle on medium heat.*Dredge each of the bread in the shallow dish for about a minute on each side so they can soak up all the eggy goodness.*Melt two tablespoons on the griddle and place bread in pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Flatten bread with a spatula when flipping.*Serve with maple syrup or whipped cream if desired.